POTD: Amazing Acoustics of Pisa Baptistery

From 2022 10 26 Pisa

This photo-of-the-day is from Pisa, Italy. It was taken in the Baptistry, one of the three magnificent buildings in the Square of Miracles. Everyone is instantly familiar with one: The Leaning Tower of Pisa. But if you're lucky enough to visit Pisa, be sure to go into a different architectural gem — the Baptistry — and do it at one of the times a volunteer gives a demonstration of the building's acoustics. With the echos, one voice can sound like a choir.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Mrs. Davis (TV 2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Mrs. Davis (TV 2023): Sci-fi action mystery parody. Godlike AI brings happiness to all; sends Sister Simone, wife of restaurant-owning Jesus, on quest for the Holy Grail (winkingly called “the most overused MacGuffin ever”). Bonkers, but it all makes sense by the end. B+

Random Thoughts: Time for a New General Manager

2023-05-02: Headline: "2023 NFL Draft team-by-team grades: Eagles, Steelers and Lions clean up; Cowboys, Patriots among worst marks."
Time for a new general manager. Amiright???

2023-05-03: UT-Dallas is an asset for Richardson that the City should leverage.
"Allegro officials cited the number of other technology companies in the area and the talent pipeline created by The University of Texas at Dallas as reasons for expanding to the city."

2023-05-03: The cost of Brexit to Great Britain:
"By 2024, the average British household will likely have a lower living standard than the average household in Slovenia. On present trends, the average British household will be poorer than the average in Poland by 2030."

The Costs of Brexit Are Undeniable Now - The Atlantic

2023-05-08: You know, back in my day, someone who seemed to be obsessed with guns was looked at suspiciously and often reported to police. Today, such a person is considered by many to be just another patriotic American.

One Argument Against Electric Vehicles

I'm feeling optimistic today. I know, my style here usually leans towards the negative, so regular readers who did a spit-take with their morning coffee just now are forgiven. But, this morning I'm believing in American ingenuity, in American can-do spirit, in an expression attributed to Winston Churchill, "Americans will always do the right thing, after they have tried everything else." What am I optimistic about today? Electric vehicles.

Team Parking or Team Health Care

The City of Richardson will be taking up the City's outdated Comprehensive Plan in this next City Council term. It will be a heavy lift. Not everyone even agrees on what the action item encompasses. Will it just be an exercise of refreshing the map that shows where in Richardson single family homes are allowed, and offices, and shops, and parks? Or does it include related things like whether homeowners are allowed to add an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to their property? Or whether the minimum number of parking spaces buildings are required to have should be relaxed or eliminated altogether?

City government resists change. It's in their nature. I'm expecting Mayor Dubey to align with the institutional interests and narrowly draw the boundary of what's open for review. I'm hoping that there will be pushback from the new City Council to get the boundary drawn expansively. Updating the Comprehensive Plan to allow a broader mix of uses is useless if they leave in place other regulations and building codes that deter such uses. A push for broad change is bound to meet resistance. Some people are passionate about the status quo.

Air (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes

Air (2023): Starts as pure 1980s nostalgia, becomes a standard sports movie, where the sport is brand marketing, finishes as a movie championing economic justice for athletes. The audience manipulation is visible throughout, but I couldn't help but be won over regardless. B+

POTD: Papal Arches

From 2022 10 24 Avignon

This photo-of-the-day is from Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. The photo shows a curious architectural detail of the palace, a brick wall viewed through three arches. Two of the arches are back-to-back in front of the wall, but off-center from each other. Why? Dunno. The 14th century architect was not around to ask.

POTD: Palace of the Popes in Avignon

From 2022 10 24 Avignon

This photo-of-the-day is from Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. I'll let Wikipedia tell the story:

"It is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was a seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. Six papal conclaves were held in the Palais, leading to the elections of Benedict XII in 1334, Clement VI in 1342, Innocent VI in 1352, Urban V in 1362, Gregory XI in 1370 and Benedict XIII in 1394. Since 1995, the Palais des Papes has been classified, along with the historic center of Avignon, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for its outstanding architecture and historical importance for the Papacy."

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022): Mexican. Iñárritua's surreal epic about a fictional film director's family and career (even this movie is in the movie). BARDO sometimes soars with beautiful imagery and dream scenes, but the story is pedestrian. C+

Meet the New Boss Same as the Old Boss

The Dallas Morning News reported that mayoral candidate "[Bob] Dubey said [Mayor Paul] Voelker’s “micromanagement from the top down” has deterred some council members and residents from speaking at council meetings."

Candidate Dubey won. It's Mayor Dubey now. Monday night the public got its first chance to see how the new regime is changing how council meetings are run, presumably opening them up, encouraging more open deliberations by council members. I'm here to report that from my perch in the cheap seats at the back of the house, the new boss looks a lot like the old boss.